Salman Khan and Raj Thackeray are known to be great friends. In fact, the politician and the actor have been spotted together at various occasions. At a recent event, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena Chief Raj Thackeray slammed his good friend Salman Khan for commenting in favour of Yakum Memom ahead of his execution on July 30.

Thackeray said, “Salman is a man without brains, while his father is a respectable man. He does not read newspapers and does not know the law and thus went on tweeting in his (Yakub’s) favour. Then there are people who sent letters to the President seeking mercy for the traitor. How can anybody question a Supreme Court order?”

While talking at a party rally, Thackeray also slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party over the execution of Yakub, According to the politician, the BJP-led governments at the Centre as well as the state wanted “riots to break out in the country”.

“Yakub Memon was a terrorist but his hanging episode was converted into a drama by both the Centre and the state government. Looking into the events preceding and following the hanging of this traitor who killed so many people, I feel that both governments only wanted riots to break out in the country,” added Thackeray.

So you all might have watched one of Anurag Kashyap’s most controversial film Black Friday which chronicles the investigation of 1993 Bombay Bomb blasts. It was extremely thought provoking and gave many of us goosebumps. You would wonder did Yakub Memon’s early morning hanging remind us of this film which has his mention. Well, tell you what, it had more than just the mention of Yakub Memon. You will be baffled to know who played Yakub in the film. It’s none other than the man who makes tragic to happy-ending love stories, Imtiaz Ali!

Yes, it definitely is the most amusing casting Anurag might have ever done. We hear Imtiaz always wanted to be a filmmaker but Anurag coaxed him to act for this one instance and tell you what, he is extremely believable as Yakub. He showed the simplicity of the man who was caught, found guilty and sentenced to death by the Supreme Court.

Imtiaz was very young then and his acting seems a bit unpolished but this man has the acting prowess in him. We wonder why didn’t he try to do at least one more film before he turned to films. Guess usne Socha na tha, his small role can get this big so many years later!

Check out his scene from the film…

]]>Salim Khan: Salman being targeted because he is a BIG star!http://www.bollywoodlife.com/news-gossip/salim-khan-salman-being-targeted-because-he-is-a-big-star/
http://www.bollywoodlife.com/news-gossip/salim-khan-salman-being-targeted-because-he-is-a-big-star/#commentsSun, 02 Aug 2015 12:06:01 +0000http://www.bollywoodlife.com/?p=556812Days after Bollywood superstar Salman Khan got into a controversy by opposing the death penalty for 1993 Mumbai serial blasts convict Yakub Memon, his father, veteran writer Salim Khan, dismissing his son’s tweets as childish and meaningless, said he was being targeted for his celebrity status which gives accusers more publicity…

Salim says his son, Salman Khan, was not the only person who had held such a position. “These things have been said by many people. Salman was not the only one. Probably his way of putting it was little childish and meaningless. First person to condemn it was me. Lots of people like Naseeruddin Shah, Shatrughan Sinha, (Justice) Markandey Katju have said the same thing,” Salim told news channel India Today.

“You get more publicity when you attach Salman because he is a big star,” he added.

Salman, 49, who is out on bail after being sentenced to five years in jail in the 2002 hit-and-run case in May, tweeted on July 25 that Yakub, who was hanged in Nagpur jail on Thursday, should not be punished for his brother Tiger Memon’s crime.

The reaction to the tweets led authorities to deploy around 50 policemen outside his residence in Galaxy Apartment in Bandra in fear of possible violence and even set up barricades. However, Salman, the very next day (July 26) apologised for what all he said. The Bajrangi Bhaijaan actor posted on Twitter that his father wanted him to retract his tweets as they have the potential to create misunderstanding and he promptly deleted the earlier tweets.

Asked whether Salman is being targeted because of being an Indian Muslim, Salim said: “The people here who have come up with the agitation and blocked the road. Personally I felt that these are the people, probably lots of them are against (Prime Minister Narendra) Modiji. He (Modi) is totally aware of all these things that he comes to know.”

Yakub Memon was involved in the deadly 1993 blasts that left 257 people dead and over 700 injured in what was then the world’s worst urban terror attack. He is the brother of one of the main accused, Tiger, who along with others is absconding. Indian officials believe he and underworld don Dawood Ibrahim are in Pakistan.

]]>http://www.bollywoodlife.com/news-gossip/salim-khan-salman-being-targeted-because-he-is-a-big-star/feed/2Singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya trolled on Twitter yet again, this time for attacking Yakub Memon’s lawyer!http://www.bollywoodlife.com/news-gossip/singer-abhijeet-bhattacharya-trolled-on-twitter-yet-again-this-time-for-attacking-yakub-memons-lawyer/
http://www.bollywoodlife.com/news-gossip/singer-abhijeet-bhattacharya-trolled-on-twitter-yet-again-this-time-for-attacking-yakub-memons-lawyer/#commentsFri, 31 Jul 2015 15:14:08 +0000http://www.bollywoodlife.com/?p=556203The singer claimed that he wanted to beat up the lawyer who appealed for a stay on Yakub’s execution

Singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya has been at the receiving end of a lot of flak on Twitter once again, after he tweeted insensitive comments about Prashant Bhushan, the lawyer who appealed for a stay on Yakub Memon’s execution. Prashant, along with a few other journalists and activists moved the court at 2 am Wednesday morning to request a stay on 1993 Mumbai blasts convict, Yakub’s execution. This irked the singer who then took to Twitter to pass on his “expertise” on the matter.

Abhijeet first tweeted about John Dayal, one of the activists, saying that he is the biggest terrorist. His tweet read, “@tajinderbagga ye @JohnDayal is the biggest Dalal of terrorists .. He should be beaten by Indians and patriots on road .. Thoo thoo thoo.”

He then expressed similar sentiments for Bhushan after a user asked him what he’d like to say about the lawyer. He tweeted, “@AnuragWROXTAR yaar iss prashant bhushan ko jute marne ke liye bhi appointment lena padega .. Pura Desh katar me hai.” And that’s not where his “polite, well-mannered” comments stopped. He even went on to say that he’d like to beat up Bhushan’s dead body with cheap shoes.

Obviously, his language and comments did not go down well with anybody in his sane mind and he became the butt of a lot of flak.

This is not the first time, Abhijeet has invited trouble for himself. Earlier too, the singers was also criticised for calling the victims of Salman’s hit and run case, dogs for sleeping on the road. After Salman was convicted, the singer tweeted that the roads are meant for humans to drive and not for dogs to sleep on.

The man really needs to have a mind and hand filter and a some sensibility lessons too!

While she already landed herself in major trouble for spelling Late APJ Abdul Kalam’s name wrong on Twitter, a journalist again put her in the spotlight, asking her to share an opinion on the 1993 Mumbai blasts accused Yakub Memon. Given that Virat’s girl has always been vocal about any issue, she could have spoken for or against the convicted. But this time Anushka chose to stay mum, especially after seeing the ire against Salman Khan. As soon as she heard Yakub Memon, she politely turned it down saying, “I am NOT going to comment on that question, sorry!”

Anushka is clearly being very cautious with what she says. Sadly, it’s become a crime to exercise your ‘freedom of speech’ in today’s times. Here check out this video below and stay tuned to BollywoodLife for more updates…

Pulkit Samrat, who is married to Salman Khan’s rakhi sister Shweta Rohira, says the superstar’s tweets on 1993 Mumbai blast convict Yakub Memon were “misinterpreted” by people. The Bajrangi Bhaijaan star posted a series of tweets on Sunday suggesting Yakub is innocent and should not be hanged for the acts of his brother Tiger Memon but later Salman retracted them.

“He made his stand very clear when people started thinking otherwise.. He was misinterpreted for whatever he wrote… And I think at that moment when people are not understanding what a person is saying, it’s always good to retract your statement and I think that’s what he did,” he told PTI.

Pulkit, who shared screen space with Salman in Jai Ho, said the star did not write anything against the judicial system of our country. “But he (Salman) made it very clear that this is what he meant and it wasn’t about being against the judiciary because he has faith in the system. “I think what he meant was that if somebody else was getting hanged for the sin done by somebody else, give him an another trial and listen to his plea and just make sure you are not hanging an innocent,” he added.

Pulkit will be next seen in upcoming comedy satire Bangistan, opposite Riteish Deshmukh.

You would expect Salman Khan’s controversial remarks on Yakub Memon’s hanging on July 30 on Twitter to run its course and die down after nationwide protest against the actor. He even apologized for creating any misunderstanding whatsoever. But it seems not everyone is appeased with his apology. A case has been lodged against Salman Khan and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi for giving out objectionable statements regarding the death penalty of 1993 Bombay bomb blast convict Yakub Memon!

The complaint has been filed under the section 124A (sedition) and others of Indian Penal Code. It has been filed by a lawyer named Sushil Kumr Mishra will continue to be heard on July 28. Mishra said in the petition that they are anti-nationals as they defended a person who has already been awarded the death penalty by the court.

Well, it seems legal hurdles for Salman will never cease to end.

]]>http://www.bollywoodlife.com/news-gossip/oh-no-salman-khan-gets-booked-for-defending-yakub-menon/feed/3Salman Khan apologises and retracts his tweets on Yakub Memon!http://www.bollywoodlife.com/news-gossip/salman-khan-apologises-and-retracts-his-tweets-on-yakub-memon/
http://www.bollywoodlife.com/news-gossip/salman-khan-apologises-and-retracts-his-tweets-on-yakub-memon/#commentsSun, 26 Jul 2015 11:48:53 +0000http://www.bollywoodlife.com/?p=541911Finally, the actor has decided to do some damage control

This morning, everyone woke up to Salman Khan’s rant on Twitter supporting 1993 Mumbai blasts convict Yakub Memon. Soon, protests, dharnas, film ban, requests to cancel his bail began. Salman was of an opinion that if Memon is hanged, it will be killing humanity as it wasn’t him but his brother Tiger Memon who is the main culprit in the 1993 blasts.

The actor’s father Salim Khan while talking to a news channel said, “Salman Khan’s tweets are ridiculous and meaningless. Those tweets shouldn’t be taken seriously and Salman should focus on his films. Salman has finally decided to do damage control and tweeted this a few minutes ago. He wrote, “I had tweeted that Tiger Memon should hang for his crimes and I stand by it. What i also said is that Yakub Memon should not hang for him. I have not said or implied that Yakub Memon is innocent. I have complete faith in the judicial system of our country. Many lives were lost in the Mumbai blasts. And I have repeatedly said the loss of one innocent life is equal to the loss of all humanity. My dad called & said I should retract my tweets as they have the potential to create misunderstanding. I here by retract them. I would like to unconditionally apologise for any misunderstanding I may have created unintentionally. I also strongly condemn those who are claiming my tweets are anti religious. I have always said I respect all faiths and I always will.

Well, we hope things come to end soon instead of the issue getting murkier.

]]>http://www.bollywoodlife.com/news-gossip/salman-khan-apologises-and-retracts-his-tweets-on-yakub-memon/feed/2In pics – BJP members gather outside Salman Khan’s house to protest!http://www.bollywoodlife.com/news-gossip/in-pics-bjp-members-gather-outside-salman-khans-house-to-protest/
http://www.bollywoodlife.com/news-gossip/in-pics-bjp-members-gather-outside-salman-khans-house-to-protest/#commentsSun, 26 Jul 2015 11:58:35 +0000http://www.bollywoodlife.com/?p=541910The actor sided with the Mumbai blasts convict in a series of tweets he put out on his Twitter account

Ever since Salman Khan defended Yakub Khan, the lone convict of the 1993 Mumbai blasts, calling him an innocent and urging to not hang him, the actor has been receiving a lot of flak for the same. From vandalizing Salman’s posters to calling him a deshdrohi, the actor has been receiving extreme reactions from various sections of the society. We earlier informed you that the Bhartiya Janta Party had demanded that the actor retract his tweets and had organised a protest outside his house in Bandra.

We also informed you that the security outside Galaxy Apartments had been doubled and even gave you a a glimpse of the preparation that went on before the protest started. The protest has now started and we give you some more on-location pics…

Stay tuned for updates on the issue!

]]>http://www.bollywoodlife.com/news-gossip/in-pics-bjp-members-gather-outside-salman-khans-house-to-protest/feed/2Will Salman Khan’s support for Yakub Memon harm Bajrangi Bhaijaan’s box office collections?http://www.bollywoodlife.com/news-gossip/will-salman-khans-support-for-yakub-memon-harm-bajrangi-bhaijaans-box-office-collections/
http://www.bollywoodlife.com/news-gossip/will-salman-khans-support-for-yakub-memon-harm-bajrangi-bhaijaans-box-office-collections/#respondSun, 26 Jul 2015 11:48:16 +0000http://www.bollywoodlife.com/?p=541912We spoke to a Trade analyst and this is what he feels…

Salman Khan‘s controversial tweets have landed him in a soup a day prior to the hearing of 2002 hit and run case. Now how will that affect the proceedings of the case is something we will know tomorrow but whether or not it will impact the dream run of his latest film Bajrangi Bhaijaan is something we can definitely tell. We spoke to trade analyst Akshaye Rathi to know the fate of BB after Salman’s comments on Yakub Memon’s hanging and it seems he feels anything can happen.

Talking exclusively with us, Rathi says, “I don’t think this chaos will affect Bajrangi Bhaijaan‘s box office numbers. In fact, this could give rise to a new wave of publicity for the film. Unless someone creates a ruckus and demands a ban on it, BB doesn’t have anything to fear.” So there you go! Salman’s sudden comments on Yakub’s hanging are no threat to BB‘s run at the box office.

So those who were a bit concerned that Salman’s infamous tweets can cause harm to Bajranigi Bhaijaan‘s collections, you can rest assured that nothing of the sort will happen.